Comfort Betrays
by midnightwriter1898
Summary: This isn't your typical kidnapped & rescued story, because my hero, Prince Charming, hates me, and there's surely no hope of him changing his mind just to save me. But of course, I just had to call him for help. -Smitchie/Nitchie- Previously "Skin Deep"
1. And I Hate You More

**A/N: **_I am a horrible, horrible person. I really am :( I can't seem to stop writing these dark, evil stories! It's such a shame :( I was upset that "Hold onto yours" (my SWAC ff), was coming to an end, and I just can't go without writing something evil, so I started another one. Yes, you are free to kill me, but that will erase any hopes of me updating completely... haha, sorry guys if this sucks, because I literally wrote it in probably 30 minutes. :( Anyways, Shane is a REAL jerk in this story, be warned, and btw, "Tay" isn't based off "Taylor Swift", I like her too much :) Enjoy & please review!_

_Disclaimer: Yeah, once again, I don't own Camp Rock._

* * *

_"_**T**_his isn't going to work out_." His words echoed in my head, stinging me. My first reaction was to drop the phone - no, more like throw it full-force against the room and hope it shattered into a million pieces, but that wouldn't change the fact that the one guy I'd ever loved, ever since we'd met at Camp Rock, was saying our relationship "wasn't working out". Translated from guy language: "I hate you, I found someone better, we're breaking up."

"But..." I forced my voice to work, trying to keep the words from getting stuck in my throat. It wasn't fair that he was doing this to us, that he was such a player. He stayed just long enough to make you really fall in love, and then he got bored and found someone else. That's all he did; he was just famous heart-breaker _Shane Gray_, never one to commit for more than a month or maybe two, if you were lucky. But, being naïve little Mitchie, I'd really thought that he loved me. After all, he really had changed after Camp Rock, although it seemed to be only her that still got to see that caring side of him as more and more days passed and his pre-Camp Rock attitude gradually returned.

"Look, Mitch, you should've seen this coming!" Shane shouted, his jerk alter-ego once again taking over. "We've been together for three months, that's an all-time low for me! It's time for both of us to move on already. I can't been seen with the same girl for so long, you know that."

"You know what?" Tears had collected in my eyes, but I refused to allow my voice to crack, because he didn't have the right to know how much he'd torn me apart with his four simple sentences. "I really thought that you'd changed, but you're an even bigger jerk than you were before! I wish... I just really wish I'd never met you!" I screamed, slamming my fist down on the desk where I was currently sitting, sending my papers flying.

"Good, because I never loved you!" Shane shouted back angrily, his voice rising with each hurtful word that flew out of his mouth. "I _hated _you, I always have! You were always too bubbly and happy and so stupid, why would I love someone like you? But the press was so insistent that dating 'the good girl, Mary Sue' would help my reputation. But I don't need you now, because my reputation is _fine_!" At his words, I couldn't help but burst into instant tears, loud sobs raking my body.

"I hate you!" I cried, screaming into the phone. I hope I burst his eardrums with my cry, I really did.

"Well good, 'cause I hate you _more_!" With that, the line clicked dead, and I collapsed onto my floor, throwing my phone against the wall and crying openly. Trust me to fall hard for a jerk like him.

*-*-*-*

_(Shane's P.O.V)_

"Good, cause I hate you _more_!" I'd shouted into the phone, meaning every single hurtful word. Sure, I'd liked her while we were at Camp Rock, but she'd just gotten increasingly more... _annoying_ with each time I saw her. She just didn't make me happy anymore, and, truth be told, I kind of did hate her. I slammed the phone down, smirking at the loud dial tone that filled the air, and laughing.

"What the heck, dude?" Nate yelled, and I turned around to find that both Jason and him were standing in the doorway, arms crossed, staring at me in a mixture of disbelief and disgust. "You're... you're an idiot!" He shouted at me, clenching his fists, although he only turned and stormed away, followed closely by Jason. Of course, that was to be expected. Nate was a big talker, but he was way too much of a wimp to actually take action. He was more the 'I'm a peacemaker' kind - full of crap and love.

Rolling my eyes at his outburst, I picked my phone up, smirking as I dialed the well-known number that she'd written down on a pink piece of paper, dotted with hearts. Now, this was my kind of girl, and she didn't make comments about how I was 'reverting back to my old ways' or 'I acted like a jerk'_. She _just might stand a chance at understanding me.

"Tay?" I asked cockily the moment she'd picked up, smirking at myself at the fact I'd gotten a new girl. "Wanna go out with me?"

*-*-*-*

_(Mitchie's P.O.V.)_

"I hate that jerk!" I yelled, taking a letter that he'd written and tearing it into pieces, tossing the remains into my trashcan. "He's such... such a _jerk_!" She cried, staring at the picture of him before taking her scissors, cutting him out of the picture, and placing his cutout in the shredder, watching in satisfaction as it was destroyed. "Jerk, jerk, jerk!" I screeched, throwing out _Connect 3_'s self-titled album and tearing down the posters I'd kept of them. I didn't want to be reminded of that two-faced _poser_ that I'd trusted - loved even. Although, not anymore.

"Stupid pop stars that think toying with a girl's emotions is okay." I sniffed, finally worn out from my screaming and crying fit and falling back against my bed, breathing a heavy sigh. "I hate him." I whispered, trying to ignore the tears that threatened to fall at my words. It wasn't fiar, he'd told me that he loved me, and now he was saying that he'd always hated me? Either way, he was lying. I only hoped that he was lying about hating me, because I didn't want to believe that one of the best moments in my entire life had just been a game he'd been playing.

At the thought, another sob forced it's way up my throat, and I slammed my fist down on my thigh in frustration and pain.

How come my once-perfect little world had to come crashing around me so suddenly? It wasn't fair. One moment I was happy, innocent - naïve, even - and the next I was heartbroken and shattered.

I hated my life.

*-*-*-*

_(Shane's P.O.V.)_

I stepped out of my room, a large smile on my face at the thought of meeting up with Taylor. She'd agreed to go out with me - duh, why wouldn't she have? - and we were meeting at some fancy restaurant in a half an hour. Smiling cockily at the fact that I could have anything I wanted, I straightened up my suit, tugging on it a bit.

"Where do you think you're going?" It was Nate, arms crossed and glaring at me, with Jason close behind him. I drew up to my full height, attempting to stare them down as I mimicked their actions, crossing my arms. "How could you do that to Mitchie? I can't believe that you are even capable of _thinking _that, much less shouting it out in her face!" Nate yelled angrily at my lack of response, stepping closer to me. "You just destroyed that poor girl, and you know as well as I do that that was the worst, biggest mistake of your entire _life_."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I tried to step pass them. Nate, however, was quick to block my way.

"You're an idiot." With that, he drew his hand back and punched me square in the face. Giving a cry of surprise, I jumped back, holding my probably-broken nose, while Nate only glared at me in satisfaction. "An _idiot_. You're right - Mitchie deserves someone so much better than you." He spat in my direction, leaving me to stare in shock at the space he'd occupied seconds earlier.

Well, he was wrong, that was dead sure. I _didn't_ love Mitchie. In fact, I think I might even really hate her.

But oh well, enough time to think about that, for now I needed to go and fix myself up a little for my date later, and think of some bone-crushing story for as to how I'd come to have a broken nose.


	2. Knew Not To Trust Him

**A.N: **_Hey guys, I'm back!! Sorry it took me so long to update, I just haven't been writing much or really had that much time to write :(. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter, sorry it's short - it's late and I'm gonna get to bed :) Enjoy & review!_

_Disclaimer: Yeah yeah yeah, I don't own CR... duhhhh. =I_

* * *

"_Look, I'm sorry Mitch, I don't know what's wrong with Shane_." Nate's voice sounded over the line, and I sniffed again, feeling a satisfaction as I ripped off his necklace, hearing the chain snap in two. Nate had called only a few minutes after I'd shredded all of Shane's pictures, trying to convince me that Shane wasn't telling me the truth. "Something's been up with him - believe me, I doubt he even knew what he was saying!" Nate continued to protest, but I only scoffed.

"Look, Nate, Shane knew _exactly_ what he was saying when he screamed that dating me was bad for the press, and that he never even loved me." Tears were threatening to fall from my eyes again, and I squeezed them shut in an attempt to hold them back. I didn't want Nate to hear me crying - again.

"He said that?" I heard Nate suck in a breath, and I felt like crying all over again because I could tell by Nate's surprise that he knew that Shane was aware of _exactly_ what he'd said to me, and that he really did mean it. Which meant that this wasn't like before - he truly was serious this time. What had changed him? He'd been doing so well, and we'd been so happy. Where had we gone wrong?

"Well, I do know for a fact that he still loves you. Why he's acting like this, I don't know, but I'll get to the bottom of it. Don't worry Mitch, this whole thing will blow over soon." Now, it was my turn to suck in my breath, and I shook my head at his words.

"No," My voice came out bitter, and I wondered if I really sounded so harsh to Nate as I did to myself, "It won't. Because I'm not going to forgive him this time." With that, I snapped my phone shut and released the sob that I'd been holding back as I threw my phone onto my dresser, shaking my head fiercely as I wrapped my arms around my knees.

"I won't forgive him this time around."

*-*-*-*

_(Shane's P.O.V.)_

"Oh my gosh, what happened to you?" Taylor shrieked as she slid into my car, her mouth wide open as she gaped at me. "Are you okay?" She demanded immediately, her hand now covering her mouth. I gave her a small smile, having already known this question was coming, and been prepared.

"I got into a fight with my band mate." I told her dramatically, watching as her eyes widened, "Yeah, we don't really see eye-to-eye. He went beserk on me and just started punching me! I didn't even do anything to him!"

"Ohmigosh!" The blonde shrieked, "He's insane! I can't believe he just went off on you like that! And you didn't even do anything... tsk tsk, some people just have tempermental issues!"

"I know! He just attacked me, shouting and breaking noses..." I knew better than to stretch the truth _too_ much, still, so I stopped after that, changing the subject to my hair. Oh, how good it felt to be the 'bad boy' again.

*-*-*-*

_(Mitchie's P.O.V.)_

"Idiot." I whispered, tearing another petal of of the daisy I was currently working on demolishing. "Broke my heart." I muttered angrily, ripping off another one. "Stupid idiot." I bit my lip, frustrated at the fact that I was down to one last pedal. "Idiot for believing him." I pulled the last one off, watching as it fell to the ground to lie among the other white pedals that now lay scattered at my feet.

Crap. I was out of pedals, and the plants surrounding the bench that I was sitting on were daisy-free, unfortunately. Great, just great. My mom had forced me to get out of the house, insisting that two weeks was way too long to sit and pout over some boy (as she had put it), and that some fresh air would do me good. So, here I was, sitting at the park bench, plucking the pedals off of daisies, trying to take my anger out on the flowers.

"Excuse me, Miss?" My head shot up, and I eyed the man in front of me warily. Light, cheery smile, well dressed, and just having a warm atomosphere about him, I knew right away better than to trust him. "I'm lost, and..."

"You know, I'd love to help you, but I really need to be getting home..." I trailed off, standing to leave, before his arm caught my wrist.

"Oh my, you're that singer... Mitchie Torres?? Shane Gray's girlfriend!" He exclaimed, although I was dubious that he hadn't known this when he'd first spoken to me. I forced a smile, trying to figure out a way to get out of his grasp and back into the safety of my own home, away from this creep.

"Yes," I wanted to shout that I'd never be Shane's girlfriend again, but I was more intent on getting away at the moment to be preoccupied by that issue at hand. "But, I really must be going..." I stepped out, attempting to free my wrist from the man's grasp.

"Not so fast." He spoke quickly, his grip tightening around arm until it went numb, his head shaking from side to side. "You're not going anywhere." I tried to pull away, but he jerked me forwards, glancing around quickly to make sure that there was no one in sight.

"Let go of me!" I shouted, desperate for someone to overhear me, but no one seemed to be around as he continued to drag me away from the bench and around the curb. "What are you doing?" I yelled at the man, whose grip was as strong as iron and seemed to be getting tighter with every passing moment. "What do you want from me?"

"You're _Shane Gray's_ girlfriend. Wonder how much he'd pay to have his precious girl back at home with him..." He grinned evilly, as he stopped at a car, shoving me into the backseat before I could even register what had happened. Great - he'd kidnapped me for a ransom, thinking that Shane would pay to get me back...

If only he was aware of the fact that we hated each other...


	3. One Million Dollars or She's Dead

**A.N:**_ Sorry this chapter is a little bit shorter, I just wanted to throw an update out here for you guys :) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, even though it's not particularly long :) ENJOY & please review guys. (I said please :):):_

_Disclaimer: Uhh... well, let me think. I don't THINK I own CR. Well, just to be sure, I'll go and check. Nope, it's not on the purchases' list :( Darn it all. _

* * *

_And I wish I could take it all away..._

The radio was on low, and I smiled over towards Taylor as I began to eat my plate of steak, when, as usual, my phone just had to ring. Figuring that it was Nate and Jason to tourture me, I went ahead and answered it, muttering a quick "I have to take this, or he'll give me another black eye," to Taylor before I smiled charmingly at her, flipping my phone open.

"Listen, Nate, I'm _really_ sorry..." I began, ready to give me unfailing 'I'm sorry that I wronged you, blah blah' speech when a man's voice cut me off.

"You're about to become even sorrier. Your little girlfriend, Mitchie Torres?" He asked, forming into a question but not waiting for me to reply. I yawned, waiting for him to continue and get to his point. "I've got her with me. If you don't give me a million dollars by Friday, I'll kill her, understood?" He barked, but I only rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, whatever, dude. I have a date to get back to. P.S, Mitchie's not my girlfriend anymore, and can you give her a message for me?" Now it was my turn to rush on, and I promptly did so. "This is low, even for _her_, but even if she were kidnapped, I wouldn't care, and I wouldn't give you a single _dime_ in exchange for her." I made my point clear, and waited for the man to respond.

"If that's the case, why are you still on the phone? If you don't care, why haven't you hung up yet?" I frowned, unsure of what he was hinting at, but deciding to ignore it. With a roll of my eyes, I replied.

"Listen, I don't know what you're thinking, but I do not care. Get it? I. Do. Not. Care. At. All." I snapped - why isn't Mitchie cutting this stupid act already? She's so pathetic, it's not even funny...

"Really?" The man sounded as if he might actually believe me, and I sighed. _Finally_. "If that's the case, you won't mind if I do this?" I jumped in surprise as a gunshot rang out on the other end of the line, along with a shout of horror, and I realized that this wasn't actually a joke of Mitchie's. "Because next time, I'm going to really shoot her if I don't get that money by Friday." And with that, the line went dead.

*-*-*

(_Mitchie's P.O.V.)_

I huddled in the corner, trying to figure out a way to escape, when the man turned around.

"Give me your cell phone." He ordered, and I shrank back, keeping my hands firmly on my pocket while I shook my head. No way would I give him my only means of communication, and my only chance of recieving help later on. "Give it to me, or I'll take it myself." He thundered, and knowing that he meant what he said, I quickly pulled it out my pocket, tossing it towards him. In satisfaction, he flipped it open, scrolling through my contacts.

"Now you just make yourself comfortable back there while I make an important call." I sighed, banging my head against the frame of the van, groaning. Great. My life was over.

"You're about to become even sorrier. Your little girlfriend, Mitchie Torres? I've got her with me. If you don't give me a million dollars by Friday, I'll kill her, understood?" The man spoke harshly into the reciever, and I flinched, knowing fully well that Shane 'hated me so much he wished that he'd never met me'. Yes, those were his exact words.

"If that's the case, why are you still on the phone? If you don't care, why haven't you hung up yet?" I frowned, wondering what the two were talking about. His responses really weren't making any sense, from what I could gather.

"Really? If that's the case, you won't mind if I do this?" At that, the man pulled out a fully loaded gun and pointed it back towards me, pulling the trigger.

With a screech, I ducked down, watching as the bullet missed me by hardly an inch, and I shook as I realized that he'd just tried to shoot me. If I hadn't ducked, I'd be dead.

"Because next time, I'm going to really shoot her if I don't get that money by Friday." Slowly, unable to stop my knees from going weak, I pulled myself up, panting heavily, as the man hung up and tossed the phone back at me.

"Why the heck did you do that?" He shouted angrily, glaring back at me. "If you'd just stayed where you were, you wouldn't have almost gotten hit! What did you think - do you really think I'd shoot you _before_ I got my million dollars? Oh no, if anything, I shoot you on Friday, if Shane still refuses to hand over the cash." Friday... that was three days away. _Crap_. I had three days to get someone who hates me to cough up a million bucks so that I wouldn't get killed... well now, that sounds like it's going to work perfectly.

Crap. I'm dead.


	4. Miss & Mr

_**A/N:** Hey guys :) Just a real quick chapter, sort of a filler one, since I couldn't think of anything to write. Sorry it's so short, but I'm really trying just to focus on 'Forever & Always' at the moment, and also I wasn't sure what to write. I'm honestly not that happy with the way this chapter turned out, but I just want to post something to give you guys at least one new chapter :) So, I hope it doesn't suck too badly ( I did manage to add a small cliffhanger at the end of this chapter, so...) if you'd be kind enough to hit that beautiful review button before you leave, I'll be forever grateful to you. Just one little click..._

_:D_

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own Camp Rock... we've been through this before, remember... *rolls eyes* Anyways, on with the story!_

* * *

[Shane's POV]

**I **wasn't quite sure what to say, or think. For a second, I faltered, battling my inner emotions as I tried to decided what to do about this mess. Actually, once I managed to fight down any sense that said I cared what happened to Mitchie, I decided what I would do. I would enjoy my date with Taylor, block all thoughts of Mitchie and this ridiculous million dollar ransom, and think about it - maybe- later when I got home. There was no need to cut off my wonderful evening with Taylor just because of this little setback. No, things were going rather smoothly, and I didn't want to ruin them.

Sauntering back to our table, I flashed Taylor a confident smile, and she replied with a cute, small grin, the corners of her mouth lifting up in a flirtatious way. Cockily, I sat back down next to her, knowing I was hot stuff. Oh yes, I definitely was all that, and more. I was the one that all the girls loved, that all the girls threw themselves at, just wishing that someone like me would recognize them. I smirked, tugging at my collar, before turning to Taylor, who's eyes were sparkling. Yes, every girl always fell under my charm. I was irresistible.

_Oh yes, I was so above Mitchie._

_Taylor was so much better than Mitchie._

_I was never going to pay that stupid random. Poor Mitchie, when she found out there was no one there to save her..._

With a smirk, I leaned forwards, kissing Taylor, all thoughts of Mitchie pushed to the back of my mind.

* * *

_[Mitchie's POV]_

**I**_**'**m dead. I'm dead, I'm so dead._ I would never again get the chance to live my life, to see the sun shining through my window and lighting up the small room, I would never again get to enjoy the simple, small things of life. I would never get the chance to feel all the heartbreak Shane had caused, because in just three days, I would be dead.

I knew this for a fact. Some people might call me harsh or crazy- to think that Shane wouldn't even care, refuse to pay the ransom, and just go on living his perfect life while this psycho-path killed me in three days time- but I knew him better than that. Sure, underneath that pop star persona, there was an actual heart, but it was buried so deep that it only rarely showed itself. That was the problem with Shane- although he might have good intentions, he was an expert at pushing away any feelings of sympathy, or the like, that it was almost as if he wasn't completely human. Sometimes, he truly didn't care what happened around him.

I wished there was some way to turn him around- to make him have a change of heart. However, knowing Shane, I knew that a miracle would have to occur before such a dramatic thing would take effect.

With a sigh, I sat back, knowing the only thing I could do was wait until Friday, when my time was up, and after he shot me, everything would be over. Wasn't that comforting?

"Your little boyfriend was playing around, missy." I already knew he was talking to me, but I didn't feel like turning to acknowledge him anymore. "He told me you weren't his girlfriend- had some kind of falling out, didn't you? I always knew that would happen- from the day I saw your bubbly personality next to his... interesting one, I knew you guys would fail. You could never work out. Too bad, too bad, though, because really he's the only one who can save you."

He paused, as if thinking, before I heard him begin to laugh. Yes, this situation really was hilarious, and most definitely something to laugh about (note my sarcasm here). It was all dandy and good for him to be laughing, since he would be the one shooting me in three days. I, as the victim, couldn't seem to find much humor in my current state. But maybe it was just me.

"Isn't it ironic? Now that he hates you, there's really a need for him not to. Now, when you really need him to save you, he doesn't care. Isn't life unfair, Miss Torres?" The fact that he called me Miss surprised me to no end. Why in the world would he actually attempt to act dignified now, when he was going to kill me when the time was right, whether he called me "missy" or "Miss Torres"?

"Yes. It's hilariously unfair, if that's what your wondering, and you've just solidified that fact for me, Mr..." I hinted, attempting to get a last name from him. Maybe, if I somehow managed to escape from him before three days, I could contact the police and give them a name. Just maybe...

He glanced back at me in the rear-view mirror, his eyes meeting mine, and he smiled, revealing his many missing teeth. I flinched, just from the pure disgusting state that his smile brought about, and drew back. His lopsided, crooked grin didn't falter, though, as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Mr. Gray, Mr. Gray is the name."


	5. He Doesn't Care

**A/N:** _Hey :) So I've got another chapter here for you guys, hopefully you'll like it :) I tried to get it up asap for all of you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Although it's not extremely eventful, I still enjoyed it, just because it shows how much of a jerk Shane really is, and it hints at Nate's feelings for Mitchie... but I won't give away too much :) Also I'd like to say thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them, and I hope you will take the time to review this chapter as well:D like I said before, reviews make my day. ;D Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or it's characters... I might own Taylor though, but I don't really think I want too :) lol. _

* * *

_[Shane's POV]_

**T**aylor finally admitted she had to be home, and I obliged, dropping her off with a kiss on her doorsteps.

"See you again soon." I yelled as I left, waiting until she'd gone inside and disappeared from sight to back out of the driveway and leave. A smirk still on my face, I couldn't get Taylor's beautiful, very done up face out of my mind. She was just my type- just what I wanted, just what I needed. It didn't take long for memories of tonight to flash through my mind, or for them to stop at a certain, specific one.

_Mitchie_. Why in the world thoughts of her wouldn't leave the back of my mind completely escaped me, because I'd tried my best to forget about everything and anything to do with her. I don't know why I wanted to care about her, when all she'd done was trash my name and ruin our relationship, along with our friendship.

Rolling my eyes, I bit my lip, refusing to think anymore about Mitchie. She was gone, a part of my past, just another ex-girlfriend that I had to avoid. I never dated the same girl twice, anyways (it was pretty bad for my reputation), so why should Mitchie be any different? She was just another girl. Just another one I didn't need to deal with.

It didn't take long for me to pull into the apartment complex's small parking lot, and enter into the apartment I shared with Nate and Jason. I was ready, waiting for whatever was to happen the moment I stepped inside. Of course, Nate was up, waiting for me, his eyes staring straight at me, although he didn't say a word right away.

"What do you want, Nate?" I snapped first, knowing he was waiting for me to make the first comment, and he regarded me coldly, his eyes showing no sympathy.

"Did you work things out with Mitchie yet?" He asked, his tone low and harsh. "Or were you too busy with that Taylor girl to realize that Mitchie's everything that anyone could ever want, and you're a jerk for treating her so badly?" He spat back, not attempting to hide his anger. I crossed my arms defiantly, not about to let him win this argument. Oh no, he wouldn't win, because I knew something he didn't. A major something, so it seems.

"Actually, no, because Mitchie just happened to interrupt my date with the amazing and beautiful Taylor." I smirked, and Nate froze. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting this. On the edge of his seat, he waited for me continue, and I could see the wheels turning in his head as he went through possible scenarios. None of them, I was sure, would be anywhere close to what had actually occurred. "I got a phone call from a man during our dinner," I continued nonchalantly. "It seems your dear Mitchie has been kidnapped, and this man wants a million dollars by Friday, or he says he'll kill her." Somehow, my words seemed unrealistic, as if this wasn't real, and as I spoke the words, I truly didn't care. Even if I had wanted to feel something for her, I couldn't have. I was just over her.

Nate froze. I watched as he slowly grew pale, his expression turning to horror, and in a split second he'd jumped up from his seat.

"I swear Shane, if this is another one of your little 'jokes', I'll-" I cut him off, rolling my eyes.

"Please, why would I make this up? Anyways, I told the man I didn't care if he killed her or not, just that he could be sure he wasn't getting his million dollars, and then he hung up on me after he shot off his gun." I finished, leaning back against the wall and staring at Nate's white face as I raised my eyebrows.

Nate was shaking, almost looking on the verge of tears, and at first I thought maybe he'd gone into shock from the news. I glanced closer- I honestly couldn't tell if he was still breathing or not.

"Get in the car." At first, I wasn't sure Nate had spoken the words at all, because he was still standing, stone faced, in the same position he'd been in for the last minute or so. However, when Nate turned to glance at me, fire in his eyes, I knew the sentence had come from him. "Get. In. The. Car." He hissed, and with a bored walk, I slowly made my way to the car as Nate sprang to wake Jason.

I had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

* * *

_[Mitchie's POV]_

**I** could hardly believe my ears. "Mr... Mr _Gray_?" I repeated, slowly, wondering if my voice faltered as I forced out the stranger's last name. Could it be... no, it couldn't.

None of the Grey boys had ever spoken of their father, and I'd always just assumed something bad had happened, and it was a touchy subject for them, so I'd avoided asking where he was. Never had I imagined _this_.

"So it's just Mr. Gray then?" I asked, trying to keep my voice nonchalant, and he shrugged. "No first name or anything, then?" The man- no, Mr. Gray- just gave me another lopsided, evil smile and shrugged his shoulders again.

"Mr. Gray is all you'll be calling me, sweetheart, there's no need to be on a first-name basis. As far as you're concerned, I don't have a first name." He replied, refusing to answer me further on the subject. I sighed, somewhat frustrated- obviously, he knew I was trying to get information from him, and he wasn't that stupid of a criminal to give me all the answers I wanted.

"Think your little ex-boyfriend will show up?" He asked, looking thoughtful, and I stiffened at the mention of Shane, my limbs tightening from the stress the very subject caused me. I pressed my lips into a firm line, refusing to answer him, but this didn't seem to bother him. In fact, it seemed to spur him to torture me more. "Let's make a bet, shall we?" He smirked again, and I glanced away, not wanting to see his crooked smile again. "If Shane shows, I might actually spare your life, if the mood hits me right, of course. If Shane refuses, I'll kill you without a second thought, and then I'll go kill him, too."

At his sentence, I froze. The thought had never occurred to me that this Mr. Gray might actually be seeking to kill Shane, too. I'd just always assumed that Mr. Gray had kidnapped me for the money, and that if Shane gave him the money, then we'd be released to live oh-so-not 'happily ever after'. I'd never thought that he might just take the money and kill us both- either way, there was a risk we would lose. I flinched. I had a zero-to-none chance to making it out of this alive. Even if Shane had one of his miraculous changes of heart, it might not matter.

"So, deal?" Mr. Gray's voice brought me back to the present, and I glanced at him to see him awaiting my answer. With a forceful shake of my head, I signalled 'no'. Mr. Gray didn't react in the slightest bit, only replied to my silent answer.

"Deal it is, then."


End file.
